Archive » July 20, 2007

FOOD REVIEW

It
isn’t often that someone will drive over 100 miles just to have dinner.
That’s a lot of time behind the wheel for most of us, but there are a few
lovers of French cuisine down in Los Angeles that have made the trip all the
way up to Solvang just to have dinner at the recently reopened Cabernet Bistro. I sat down at their
new location to taste the magic for myself, thinking, “There’s no
way the food could be that good!” How was it?Let’s just say that I am beginning
to understand.

Owner and
executive chef Jacques Toulethas decades of experience in French cuisine.
Born in France,
he and his brother Joseph grew up in an apartment just above the restaurant
that their parents owned. Both brothers spent a lot of time in the kitchen and
took to the chef’s life quite quickly. After honing their skills at the
family restaurant the brothers moved to Los
Angeles where they worked as a team at highly
respected places including The Beverly
Hills Hotel, Au Petit Jean, and TheFactory Night Club. Their greatest success was Les Pyrenees which they opened on their own in 1974. Les Pyrenees
was an immediate success and was praised by the Los Angeles Times as well as
Gourmet magazine. It wasn’t until 1998 that Jacques and his wife along
with co-owner Diana Toulet
opened the Cabernet Bistro in Solvang.

The rise
in popularity of whole foods and natural health has driven some folks away from
French cuisine, and this is unfortunate. Yes, this may not be the
“healthiest” food one could choose to eat. However, I can almost
guarantee that well prepared French cuisine will satisfy the belly and soul
better than just about any other food on the planet. C’mon people.
It’s one meal. Go for a jog in the morning. It’s worth it.

As I sat
at the bar perusing the menu Chef Toulet approached
me and introduced himself in his thick and jolly French accent. Sweat on his
brow was an indication that even to this day he is in the kitchen getting his
hands dirty. “Do you like escargot?” he asks patting me on the back
smiling from cheek to cheek. I love escargot, but somehow I got the impression
I didn’t have any choice in the matter either way. I was about to get the
full experience at Cabernet Bistro and I wasn’t about to put the breaks
on this ride.

Minutes
later I was presented with a plate of classically prepared Escargot. Perfect snails submerged in garlic butter and fresh herbs
served with slices of French bread.Escargot is a rare treat that tastes something like a cross between
clams and crab. Thankfully, like shellfish, escargot requires some work to get
out of its shell. This extra effort helped slow me down enough to truly enjoy
this delicacy for all it was worth.

Cabernet
Bistro is famous for its duck, so I wasn’t surprised when Duck Confit
Ravioli with Black Peppercorn Sauce was presented as my second course. Duck
is good, but duck cooked in its own fat is great. Stuff it inside sheets of
homemade pasta and, well, some might call it sublime. Duck confit
isn’t necessarily oily. In fact well made confit
like I was served does not feel oily or overly rich to the palette at all. The
spice and slight sweetness of black peppercorn sauce was a superb compliment to
the richness as well.

French Onion Soup is one of those simple traditional
dishes that is often just “ok”. When done
right, however, it may be one of my favorite soups. You know, when the onions
are caramelized just enough but not burned; when the stock is rich, but not
overwhelming; when the bread is crusty, not old; and of course, artisan cheese
melted on top to perfection. Cabernet Bistro does onion soup the right way, and
I made that very clear as I tipped the bowl towards my face in search of the
last few spoonfuls.

My soup
was lifted and a proud chef presented me with his most prized dish that
evening. Duck Thighs Confit
glazed with Blueberries, Cranberries and Apples. Chef Toulet
knows that duck loves fruit. Pulling pieces of meat from a whole duck thigh can
be challenging, but when the meat comes free and mixes with the sauce on the
plate the palette gets treated to a multifaceted experience. The wildness of
duck meat combines with the crispness and sweetness of well glazed skin, only
to be followed by the complex spice and stewed fruit flavors of the sauce. I
was happy to find some vegetables on my plate as well. Broccoli in
béchamel sauce and a banana squash puree were thoughtful additions that
my health concerned conscious was pleased to see.

I knew it
was coming. A good French meal must be ended with a rich dessert. Making sure
that the final course would be memorable Chef Toulet
created a dessert sampler for me. Dark
Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Mouse
with fresh Raspberries and English Cream are very traditional and well
known French desserts, but like the French onion soup I had earlier, they were
great examples of these desserts true potential. I’m a sucker for nuts,
so it wasn’t surprising that my favorite thing on the sampler was the Belgian White Chocolate and Praline Cake. Chef
Toulet uses almond flour instead of cake flour in
this one. This creates a cake that has more texture, but actually feels lighter
on the palette.

After more
than two hours of dining, it was time for me to get up from the cozy bar and
leave my new friends at Cabernet Bistro. It isn’t often that I leave a
meal feeling like I’m coming home from vacation. When a restaurant can
create an environment welcoming and pleasurable enough to convince the rest of
my life to fade, that is the sign that I’ve had a great meal. Yes, well
prepared and inspired food is essential, but there are many other subtle parts
to dinning that Cabernet Bistro excels at as well. Cabernet Bistro is located inside
Frederik's Court at 485 Alisal Rd #L2.
Call 688-8871 for reservations.